Now for that Universal news. Let's start with HD-DVD. Specific dates are still TBA, but here's what the studio is prepping for high-definition over the summer (most of the April and May titles are already confirmed):

April - The Good Shepherd, Smokin' Aces, The Game, The Jerk, The Hitcher, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Nutty Professor

May - Alpha Dog, The 40-Year-Old Virgin: Unrated, Smokey and the Bandit, Hurricane, Skeleton Key, The River, Midnight Run, The Frighteners, The Big Lebowski, Dragonheart, Lost in Translation

June - Breach, Bruce Almighty, Liar Liar, Sneakers, Born on the 4th of July, Scent of a Women, Daylight, Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, Meet Joe Black, Mallrats, Being John Malkovich, Mystery Men, American Me, The Watcher, Bulletproof

July - Billy Madison, The War, The Wedding Date, Dante's Peak, Cat in the Hat, Dead Silence, The Bourne Identity, The Nutty Professor 2, In Good Company, Streets of Fire, Hot Fuzz, Sea of Love, Darkman, Shaun of the Dead, Deliver Us from Eva

August - Heroes: Season One

September - The Last Starfighter, Legend, Battlestar Galactica: Season One, For the Love of the Game, Knocked Up, Evening, The Getaway: Unrated, Patch Adams, Cat People

IN UNIVERSAL WE TRUST!!!!!!!!

Summer cannot come soon enough, I easily see several titles in each month I want to pick up. The only reason I'm skipping out on 6 or so April and May titles is that they are not combo format, so I'm not even considering them. Hopefully they will announce dual releases (combo + non-combo) cause I see way to many movies I want from this list.

They are probably saving even bigger hits for Christmas.

These are the titles that are must buys for me IF THEY ARE IN COMBO FORMAT:

Hurricane
Lost in Translation
The Big Lebowski
Bruce Almighty
Liar Liar
The Nutty Professor 2
The Bourne Identity
Dante's Peak
Heroes: Season One
The Last Starfighter
Legend
Battlestar Galactica: Season One

Please Universal release LEGEND with both cuts!! I for one prefer the Tangerine Dream score over the Goldsmith. This worries me because Legend was re-released after the Ultimate Edition with only the Goldsmith version.

"As of now, all the above titles are HD-DVD only, but we've learned that there's some "executive upheaval" going on in the studio's home video division right now, so things could change."

The personnel adjustments have been widely reported; characterizing them as "executive upheaval" with a potential impact on HD DVD exclusivity has so far only been the subject of speculation. Does this suggest something more concrete?

Of course he left the door open for a possible BLU-RAY release of these as well:

Well, I can certainly see a studio exec deciding to meet the studio's "obligations" to HD DVD supporters with a big slate while also commencing Blu-ray support.

Given that they will sell at least twice as many copies for less than twice the required effort, it makes sense.

Still, no one can complain about Universal's support for HD DVD with this slate. They have done the best job that any studio has for a format since last year, and they are continuing with that tradition.

The personnel adjustments have been widely reported; characterizing them as "executive upheaval" with a potential impact on HD DVD exclusivity has so far only been the subject of speculation. Does this suggest something more concrete?

I doubt it. It's just pure speculation like has been going on here. I doubt they know more than we do.

All I've read is Universal has combined video and theatrical marketing departments.

"Under the new structure, Universal Studios Home Entertainment president Craig Kornblau will continue to oversee all home entertainment operations, including digital distribution. Studio marketing president Adam Fogelson and co-president Eddie Egan will lead marketing for all of the studio's major new releases, both theatrically and in their home entertainment release."

"Under the realignment, executive VP of domestic marketing Ken Graffeo will shift to focus on high-definition DVD, reporting to Kornblau. Universal is the only major studio to release its titles only on the HD DVD format. "

To the OP, why are combos so important to you? For the current price difference between a HD-DVD and a Combo disc, you could go to your local used DVD store and buy everything on your list with the exception of season one of Heroes. I don't mind combos for new releases, but for catalogue titles that have DVDs sitting in bargin bins, they are pointless, IMHO.

NO CONAN? Well, there are enough european releases to last me April

What is Serenity:Special Edition? Are they actually gonna pull a double dip of that title? Grrrrrr, that ticks me off, to be double dipping HD-DVDs so soon (I can only assume a HD-DVD version would be released).

Thats only 9 out of 58 listed and im not really excited about any of them. What I really want from universal is the big speilberg movies. Which wont be coming any time soon. But Im glad to see they have finally announced something. By the way I am format neutral. Too many good movies for my taste on the bluray side to ignore. I was originaly only supporting HD DVD. I dont know what most of the other stuff is. I seem to have a different taste then most people on this board.